The Alley Out Back
by catthegreat
Summary: It all started with a failed game of pool at the beginning of the summer. Now it's his senior year of college, and Naruto is stuck trying to figure out what is wrong with his bastard teammate who can't seem to leave him alone. No longer a oneshot.
1. The First Time

**AN: **Hey guys! I had this idea while getting my teeth cleaned earlier today. I used it mostly for kissing practice for Fallout. So if you review, let me know what you think of the scene. Enjoy!

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Naruto was seriously irritated. He'd been talked into hanging out at the local bar, the Akatsuki, by his best friend, Kiba. Now, normally, Naruto liked going to the bar. Ok, let's be honest, he _loved_ going out. It meant he could hit on as many girls as he wanted – and he was pretty lucky in the numbers department – and drink however much he desired with a damn near guarantee he'd get a taxi home or…wherever.

But tonight, they came for one reason; to play pool. Naruto sucked at playing pool. And if there's one thing the blond didn't enjoy, it was sucking at something. He wasn't used to it. In high school he'd been team captain – or co-captain – for every sport he'd done. The term "you suck" was never used against him when it came to anything physical. Except pool.

There was something about the combination of physics, geometry, and subtle movements that didn't suit him. Not only did he suck at the sciences – he was really more of a liberal arts guy – but there was also nothing _subtle_ about Uzumaki Naruto. His favorite color, after all, was orange. Bright, eye-burning orange – though Kiba had talked him out of it and forced him into some lighter jeans and a white button up for the night. Then there were his muscles. Hey, a guy that hot had to take care of his body.

He shook his head and focused back on the table before him. He could see Shikamaru's bored stare, and Kiba was obviously getting irritated with waiting this long for the blond to make his move. He bent forward, sticking his ass out just a little – for the group of girls starting at him – and struck the white ball. It hit the triangle just off where he was aiming and…nothing. Not a single ball went into a goddammed hole. He scowled. The girls were giggling at him.

"Dammit, Naruto can you do anything right?" Kiba laughed at him.

"Shut it, dog breath. I told you I was bad at this game." It was his own fault for inviting Naruto to play in the first place.

"Aw, I'm just teasing. Besides, it would've defeated the purpose if you were good at it."

"What?!"

"You're too loud," Shikamaru cut it, taking his turn. Perfect shot. How did he do that?

Kiba took his shot. "Sometimes beating the great Naruto at something is fun." He grinned when several of the pool balls found their way into the table.

"Har har. You're such a dick sometimes."

"Language, Naruto. There are ladies present." They turned to welcome the newcomers. Ino, blonde with a banging body, arrived followed by her latest conquest: heavyweight college boxing champion, Chouji. It was a mystery to Naruto why someone as hot as Ino was dating someone as…off as Chouji. But he knew better than to ask her; last time he questioned her taste in men he'd ended up with a black eye for a week. Kiba had laughed his ass off at that.

He grinned easily. "Ladies? Where?"

Ino smacked his head.

"Tactful as ever, idiot. Are you going to make your move or do you give up already?" The voice of his best friend brought Naruto back to the present.

"Calm your tits, dog-boy. I'm still playing." He focused, leaned over, and took his shot. Yes! One of them went into a hole! Wait. Shit. It was the white ball.

"I think you should just give up. You really suck at this game," Ino said wisely.

"Shut up! Don't you know who I am? I am the great Uzumaki Naruto! I never give up!"

"God, Naruto, you're so loud." He immediately straightened up and wiped the scowl off his face. His one true love was here.

He spun around to greet the gorgeous girl. "Sakura! Hey! I didn't know you were coming." The last comment was directed angrily toward Kiba, who shrugged as if to say 'nobody told me either.' Whatever.

Sakura was wearing a pink halter top and white mini skirt with pink frills at the bottom. Her hair was down, matching pink for pink. She looked gorgeous, as usual. "It was a last minute decision. Ino talked me into it."

Now, Naruto was notorious for not being the smartest person in the world, but he could read people better than some of them could read themselves. So when he saw the sad smile pass between the two girls, he knew something was up. But given the situation, he knew he couldn't ask them now. He made a mental note to approach Ino next time she walked over to get alcohol. Which was right about…now.

"You guys want anything? I'm gonna get a drink."

"I'll come!" He dropped his stick and made to follow her.

"Oy! Are you planning on quitting?" Kiba's angry growl followed him.

"Just have Chouji play till I get back!" He shouted back to them. And he could swear he heard Shikamaru mutter "troublesome" before he disappeared into the crowd after the blonde girl.

"Wait up. Sheesh." He finally caught up to her. The crowd around the bar was ridiculous. They would have to fight to get to the front if they were serious about drinks. But Ino didn't seem to be in a rush. As soon as they were stopped, she turned to him.

"Spit it out, Naruto."

"Spit what out?"

"I know you, Uzumaki. You wanted to talk about something. You were practically begging me to come over here."

"I didn't say anything!"

She shrugged. "Don't have to. I can read you."

It was true; she could read him. She read him so well it was scary. Naruto assumed it stemmed from the time they dated freshman year of college. They found out they were incompatible as far as a relationship went but got along really well as friends. They continued to sleep together for a bit after the break up. What could he say? The sex was great.

"I saw the look you gave Sakura. What was that all about?"

She sighed. "I figured it was that." She fixed him with a glare before speaking again. "Don't get your hopes up. Ok? She's having a hard time."

"Wait. Did they break up?"

"Perceptive. What gave it away?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

He ignored it. "So she finally saw what a bastard he was and dumped his ass. Good riddance."

"You can be such an insensitive ass sometimes."

"What?"

"_She_ didn't dump _him_, you idiot. _He_ dumped _her_."

"What a dick!"

"What can I get you guys to drink?" They both looked around in surprise; they'd been so focused on the conversation, they hadn't even noticed the crowd had pushed them right against the bar.

"Long Island ice tea, for me," Ino said.

"And I'll have a Fat Tire!" Naruto yelled after the disappearing bartender. He was so obvious about helping the hot girls. Honestly. If Naruto didn't get his drink he'd jump over the bar and get it himself. And then punch the guy in the face.

Lucky for him, the guy returned with both their drinks. They grabbed them and made their way slowly back to the pool area.

"So why'd he end it?" He couldn't contain his curiosity.

"I'm not really sure. I don't know if Sakura knows either. She mentioned something about him being into someone else, but I'm really not sure. I mean it _is_ Sasuke we're talking about. All the girls want him, and he's just never…interested."

"It's because he's a bastard with a perpetual stick up his ass."

"Ha ha. So funny." She rolled her eyes.

They made it back to their friends. One look at the table revealed that Chouji was kicking both Kiba and Shikamaru's ass. Who knew? Ino immediately jumped over to him and began cheering him on.

Naruto, deciding pool was no longer worth it, sat next to Sakura. She was staring at the game as if not seeing it, holding her still full rum and Coke in her hands.

"Hey," he said by way of greeting. She looked over at him, as if surprised to see him there.

"Naruto."

"That's my name. Don't wear it out. Or do. I really don't mind."

"You're such a flirt." It was their usual encounter, but she'd lost her fire.

He wasn't sure if he should bring it up. After a moment he decided he could go for the comforting angle. If it were a secret, Ino wouldn't have told him; she knew he could never keep his mouth shut.

"Look, Sakura. I heard what happened. I'm really sorry." She blinked at him, her eyes revealing some of the hurt she must've been feeling. But she didn't offer anything, so he continued. "And if you ever need anything, you know I'm always here for you."

If Sakura were a weaker woman, Naruto would swear she'd be crying by now. As it was, she was close to tears. She opened her mouth to say something, but Naruto interrupted her, suspecting what she was going to say, but not wanting to hear it.

"Don't say anything. Just drink. It'll make you feel better." He was stretching the truth, and they both knew it; drinking didn't make anyone feel any better. But it would hopefully loosen her up enough that she would be more willing to join in with the group.

"Thanks Naruto," she muttered, taking a large sip from her drink.

An hour or so later, the bar was more crowded than it had been before. Naruto was on his third or fourth beer, he wasn't really sure. At some point, Ino had thought it was a great idea to order a round of vodka shots, and he'd had enough to feel pleasantly light headed. He knew it was a shitty idea to mix beer and liquor, but Naruto had a strong stomach; this wasn't his first rodeo.

Sakura had finished her first rum and coke, declined the shots – Naruto took hers when nobody was looking – and was working on her second. She wasn't the world's heaviest weight, but she could handle two of those; he'd seen it before. With some encouragement from their friends, she'd even joined in cheering on the pool games. Naruto had somehow been convinced to try again, and he seemed to get even worse after a few drinks, if that were possible.

"Shit!" He exclaimed as the stupid white ball of torture – as he'd dubbed it – flew right off the table, and rolled over just to be stopped by someone's shoe. His eyes followed the shoe up the dark jeans, over the black shirt to the man's face. Well, damn.

The raven-haired man bent over and picked up the offending ball. He brought it over to the table and dropped it. Everyone in the group had grown quiet. Somewhere behind him, Naruto was positive Sakura was chugging the rest of her rum and coke like her life depended on it.

"Loser, you seem to have dropped your ball." And then he _smirked_. Naruto flushed at the obvious implication.

"Bastard!"

"Oh, how original." He was still smirking.

"Sasuke. What are you doing here?" Kiba challenged with a glare. By this time, everyone knew about him and Sakura no longer being an 'us'. And, as expected of Naruto's group, they sided with Sakura. They didn't even need to know the story.

"I can't come play pool with my friends?" He indicated to the group behind him. His usual posse of Neji, Karin, and Suigetsu were standing there. Naruto had no problem with the group in general; it was just the arrogant bastard he hated.

"No. You can't," Ino said bluntly, standing almost protectively in front of Sakura. It seemed like Sasuke just noticed his recent ex, because his eyes widened slightly. Just as Naruto was sure he'd imagined it, the look was gone. The bastard opened his eyes to say something, but a soft voice came from behind the Uzumaki.

"It's fine. I was just leaving anyways." Sakura brushed past Naruto, holding an empty glass. She was flushed, whether from the alcohol or anger, he wasn't sure. Either way, he knew he couldn't just let her walk away.

"Here, I'll get you a cab, Sakura."

If he'd been paying more attention, he might've noticed the brief look of anger that flashed across Sasuke's face. Instead, he ignored it completely. Sakura tried to shake him off, but he wasn't having it. He wasn't going to just let her walk away when she was obviously upset and under the influence. As if sensing his urgency, Ino jumped to his aid.

"We're actually headed out too. Come on Chouji."

The guy grumbled a bit, but followed his girlfriend and Naruto as they chased after Sakura. They finally caught up to her outside the building. Ino called for a taxi, and Chouji snacked on some peanuts he'd stolen from the counter. That left Naruto alone with Sakura.

"I can always come home with you. Just to make sure you're ok." He wasn't going to try anything with her; he was just genuinely concerned. She'd been obsessed with Sasuke since high school and he'd finally given her a chance this year. To be let down like this must've been torture.

"Thanks Naruto, but I'd really prefer to be alone right now."

"Ok, but just promise me that if you need anything –"

"Naruto!" She shouted, her face so pink it almost matched her hair. "I don't need you to babysit me!"

Ino and Chouji were now staring at them, as well as the people walking by on the sidewalk.

"Ok. Ok. I'm sorry." Why was he apologizing? She'd just yelled at him.

"Look, Naruto," she was looking at him with that same expression she'd had on earlier when he'd interrupted her. A feeling of foreboding settled in his stomach. "I'm sorry. I know you mean well and all. And I know you've been into me since high school."

"It's fine. You don't have to say it…"

"No, I do. You're a great guy. Really, you are. I couldn't imagine having a better friend than you. But that's all you'll ever be to me; a friend. I don't think of you like that, Naruto."

His stomach sank. It wasn't like he didn't know, after all the times he'd been rejected by her in the past. But hearing it out loud made it more real, more final. And then she pounded the final nail into the coffin.

"You're like a brother to me, Naruto. I will never be able to have romantic feelings for my brother." Suddenly he felt like he was the one who was going to cry. Instead, he did what he always did when someone delivered world-shattering news to him; he smiled. It was the fakest smile he had.

"Ha. Yeah. Brother. Ha." He was spared anymore pain when the cab finally pulled up. Still trying to play the part of the gentleman, he opened the door for her and their friends. After they all piled in and he'd closed the door, Sakura looked out the half open window.

"Naruto, I'm sorry."

She needed to stop talking or his mask was going to fall off completely.

"Don't worry about it!" Anyone could tell he was faking it by the way his voice broke when he shouted. "See ya later!" And he walked away before his heart could break anymore.

It was scary how quickly he was able to collect himself in the alley. It was something he'd learned after years of being viewed as a 'freak' and having his friends slowly taken away from him. Feeling slightly better, though not sure why, he stood up and walked back to the bar.

The bouncers knew him pretty well by now, but he still flashed his I.D. at them; proof he was over 21. As expected, his friends were still playing pool, but Sasuke and his posse had joined them. Naruto decided that he'd feel even better after kicking Sasuke's ass at pool. And hell, if he couldn't, then he'd just beat him with the stick.

"Mind if I rejoin?" He asked when he got back, plastering a grin on his face. Sasuke gave him a strange look, as if the grin weren't fooling him. Kiba, on the other hand, mirrored Naruto and tossed him a stick.

"You're just a glutton for punishment, dude."

"Nah. I just want to kick the bastard's ass."

"As if you could, loser." The strange look on Sasuke's face disappeared and was replaced with a cocky smirk. He held his pool stick like he was made for it, and it was starting to get the attention of a lot of the girls in the bar.

"You'll be eating your words then, asshole." And with that, Naruto grabbed a pool stick and succeeded in failing at his shot.

By now, they were getting a crowd of admirers. Most of the girls were eyeing Sasuke with a look Naruto knew all too well, but he and his group had his admirers as well. He wasn't sure what a lot of the girls saw in the bastard in the first place. Sure, he was usually Naruto's co-captain back in high school, and they were both varsity athletes in college now, so he wasn't in bad shape. He was slightly taller than Naruto too, by maybe an inch or two – Naruto blamed Sasuke's slightly better basketball skills on this, but never out loud. But other than that, he wasn't all that.

Ok, so yeah, he had flawless skin. And his eyes had this dark mystery to them. And the way his stomach was slightly bared by how he was leaning was definitely attractive. Not to mention – stop. Uchiha Sasuke was _not_ attractive. Plus, Naruto was definitely into Sakura.

At the thought of the pink haired girl's name, he instantly felt his mood drop again. He didn't put any effort into his next attempt, and it showed. He didn't really notice Sasuke walk over to him until he was standing right there.

"Loser."

"What?" Naruto was immediately back on the defensive, glaring up at the Uchiha defiantly.

"If you're not even going to put in an attempt, then I don't want to play you."

The blond flushed at those words. "Shut up," was the brilliant response he came up with.

"You're not even holding it right." He ripped the pool stick out of Naruto's hands.

"Hey! That's mine!" Of course, the bastard ignored him.

Resting one hand on the green table before him, he leaned over, gripping the pool stick gently in his other hand. Naruto swallowed; Sasuke's shirt had revealed some of the Uchiha's back and he was having a hard time concentrating on anything but the way the muscles were tightening as he moved his arm back and –

"Are you even paying attention?"

The blond forced his eyes up to meet the raven's face. To his embarrassment, he found he was blushing. Apparently, the other noticed it as well, because he raised one eyebrow in response.

"Uh," he swallowed again. What was wrong with him? This was Sasuke. And he was a guy for god's sake! "Yeah."

A ringing brought them out of the awkward tension that had just built. Kiba reached into his pocket and answered his phone.

"Sup?" Pause. "Oh hey, Hinata!" Momentarily forgetting the situation, Naruto rolled his eyes. Kiba's voice always did something weird whenever his girlfriend called. He made a mental note to give him shit for it later. Kiba hung up.

"What's up with the missus?"

"Can it, idiot."

Naruto stuck his tongue out in response. Really mature, he knew.

"She wants me home."

"Actually Temari just texted me too. I'm gonna head out."

"Guyyyyyyys," Naruto whined. He hated these small reminders that he was _still_ the only single guy in the group.

"As much as I'd love to stay and see what the fan girls make of you and Sasuke's little pool lesson, I really have to go."

"Dog breath…" Naruto growled threateningly.

"See ya later!" They left! They left him alone with the bastard and his posse! Wait a second. Naruto looked around. His cousin and the rest of Sasuke's select group of friends had already disappeared. He looked questioningly back at the Uchiha, who shrugged.

"I figured they'd head out. This isn't really their scene."

Which meant he was alone with the goddammed bastard. And all the fan girls, who – like Kiba had suggested – looked far too eager to have them continue where they left off. Sasuke seemed a little too willing to oblige, as he moved directly behind Naruto.

The blond felt his mouth go dry again. Dammit. A touch on his shoulder made his blush reappear. He must be really drunk if he was feeling like this around Sasuke. He ignored the lack of haziness that usually accompanied having one too many drinks and shook his head; he was still convinced he was drunk.

"You hold it like this," a breath flew by his ear, causing Naruto to feel a sudden twitch in his pants. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He was _not_ getting a hard on from the bastard. No way. Without thinking, he leaned over the way he'd seen Sasuke do it moments before and heard a gasp behind him. His ass hit something hard behind him, and he realized he wasn't the only one with this 'little' problem. Something was seriously wrong with the pair of them.

With Sasuke's guidance, he brought his arm back and smoothly moved the pool stick forward, between their entwined fingers. To his great surprise, they managed to actually get a few to go where they were supposed to.

"Yes!" Naruto jumped up and out of Sasuke's hold and spun around, celebrating. He just stood there, arms crossed with a bored expression on his face. Typical bastard behavior.

"Did you see that? I totally scored!"

A chorus of giggles followed Naruto's outburst and brought him back to reality. He looked around at all the girls surrounding them. Some of them _actually_ had their phones out and were obviously taking pictures of him and Sasuke. They were probably sending the pictures to their friends too. Or posting it on the internet. Dammit. He was never going to get the girls' numbers if they thought he was gay!

Feeling suddenly like he wanted to not be the center of every yaoi fan-girl's fantasies, he dropped the pool stick on the table.

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving." He drained the remainder of his beer and slammed it on the table as well.

"Idiot."

Not deigning to respond, Naruto walked out of the bar. He was in desperate need of some fresh air. His face still felt flushed and the parts of his body Sasuke had touched were burning. He shook his head; he needed to catch a cab and leave.

"Loser." Uh oh.

"What do you want, bastard?"

"You left."

Naruto snorted. "And you call me an idiot."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I _said_ I was leaving. God you're such a tight ass."

"At least I'm not the loser who struck out tonight."

Naruto saw red. Before he knew it, he had the bastard's shirt balled in his left fist while his right was pulled back, ready to be released. Just as he was about to punch the dick right in his smug face, something grabbed his arm. He looked around to see who the hell was stopping him from exacting revenge. It was the bouncer. Oh.

"Not in front of the bar. Take it down there if you want to fight." He nodded toward a nearby alley. Naruto shrugged him off irritatingly and dropped Sasuke. Then without a word, he stalked toward the alley. When he didn't hear footsteps behind him he turned.

"You coming?"

The bastard didn't respond. Instead he just followed. About damn time too. Naruto was sick of letting him get away with everything just because Sakura was into him. That was all over now; he could let loose. And what better location than a dark abandoned alley behind a bar? Seemed fitting.

He turned back to the Uchiha, fists bared. They were far enough into the area that there were no street lights. Nobody would be able to see them. Perfect. Without waiting for an invitation, the blond charged and punched Sasuke. His fist made a satisfying connection with the other's stomach before he felt a returned blow somewhere by his ribs. Dammit, he'd forgotten Sasuke could hit. Hard.

The next punch knocked the wind from him, but he was still able to get a solid hit to the other's right cheek. He grinned in satisfaction, but it was immediately wiped from his face when he was thrown into the nearby brick wall. The bastard pinned his arms by his head. Naruto struggled for a moment, before realizing the futility of his actions. So instead he settled on glaring.

"Go ahead. Hit me again." He taunted.

Sasuke didn't respond.

"I mean it's not as if you didn't get the girl in the end."

Still nothing.

Naruto laughed bitterly. "And then you dumped her. What was it? Just to prove to me you could always win out in the end?"

The bastard didn't say anything. He just let the blond go and moved away from the wall. Naruto used the opportunity to wipe the area under his nose with his sleeve. He checked it. No blood.

"You know you didn't have to be a dick about it. I always knew Sakura was into you. Hell, everyone knew."

"Shut up." Ah, so he _could_ talk still. Apparently he didn't like hearing about his recent fuck up. Good.

"What were you even dating her for in the first place? It was obvious you were never really as into her as she was into you."

"I said shut up."

But Uzumakis didn't shut up. They kept talking until they were done.

"Was it really just some kind of sick competition between us? You knew I liked her so you decided to take her?"

"SHUT UP!" Wow. The Uchiha had broken composure. That was a rare occurrence.

"Or was it just to hide the fact you're ga–"

Naruto was not prepared for the next attack, mostly because this one was directed toward the one part of his body he never expected the Uchiha to attack. His eyes went wide as Sasuke's lips slammed into his own. He found himself shoved against the wall once again, only this time he didn't struggle; he was too shocked.

Sasuke's lips were working desperately against his own, and almost without thinking Naruto opened his mouth. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd intended to do or say, but whatever it was, was squashed by the feeling of the other man's tongue in his mouth. Not one to be easily dominated at anything, Naruto fought back with his. His eyes closed automatically, and he didn't notice his arms wrap around the Uchiha. He couldn't even feel the raven hair in his hands as he fisted it.

All he noticed was the new taste in his mouth. Sasuke tasted like a combination of alcohol, spices and something else Naruto couldn't quite place. But God, was it heavenly. A thigh forced its way between Naruto's legs causing him to bite down on Sasuke's tongue. Holy shit, he was aroused. And it was only made worse by the moan released from the other's mouth. He didn't want it to stop, he didn't –! But the need for air broke them apart.

They stood there panting for a moment, gazing at each other. Sasuke's eyes were half lidded in a way that was – Naruto had to admit it – damn sexy. The blond wouldn't be surprised if his hair were sticking out in an interesting way like the Uchiha's now was. Far from looking ridiculous, though, Naruto found it…attractive.

What the hell?

The thought brought him out of his reverie, and he shoved Sasuke away suddenly. What was he thinking? He wasn't _gay_. No way! He was Uzumaki Naruto, lady-killer extraordinaire! And hot pieces of ass like him did not go for dark haired bastards. Especially if they were dudes.

So lost in his own thoughts was the blond, that he didn't notice the strange look Sasuke now wore. When he finally saw it, he snapped again.

"What?" He snarled.

"Nothing." The guy _turned away_. Arrogant bastard.

"Fine," Naruto agreed uncharacteristically. Nothing happened. That was right. He was straight and one drunken – he was drunk dammit! – make-out session with his rival was _not_ going to change that. He pushed past the Uchiha and walked away toward the street where cabs were hopefully waiting to pick up people. It was bound to be close to last call by now.

To his surprise, Sasuke was next to him when they emerged. He glanced sideways at the guy and couldn't help but feel smug over the bruise that was obviously forming on the Uchiha's cheek. He knew he would be in about the same shape the next day, but he didn't care at the moment. Plus, fight scars were dashing – though Ino argued passionately against facial bruising's.

"See something you like?" The bastard had the nerve to sound bored when he said that.

"No," Naruto huffed childishly. He completed the look by crossing his arms and looking decidedly away from Sasuke.

A cab rolled up. Finally. He walked toward it, somewhat surprised he wasn't followed. He stopped just before getting in the taxi, not sure if he should offer the guy a ride home or what…

"I'll be fine." The Uchiha responded, as if reading his mind.

"What?"

"Besides, we live on opposite sides of town from here." Another taxi rolled up and Sasuke walked toward it, waving goodbye before getting in.

"In or out buddy. I've got other good paying customers I could be driving around." The driver broke him from his reverie.

"Yeah, yeah. Chill." He got in the car, gave the guy directions to his apartment and sat back in his seat, gazing out the window into the night.

The feeling of Sasuke's lips on his was still there. He poked them, as if to check that only his lips were attached to his face. Damn bastard. Who attacks someone like that? He sighed and leaned his forehead against his reflection in the mirror. He didn't even like guys. Why was he still hung up on this?

"Buddy, if you're gonna puke, I'm going to charge extra."

"I'll be fine," he muttered irritably in response.

After all, he wasn't even drunk.

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**AN:** So what'd you think?! Please let me know! Personally, I'm a huge fan of college AU's. I also enjoy getting characters drunk (or not...Naruto you are in denial so hard). Opinions are much appreciated! I also published this after only one round of edits, so it might not be perfect. Let me know if you see something that's off. :D


	2. Rain Is Not Romantic

**AN: **_You win. The Alley Out Back will be turned into a multi-shot of unknown chapter and undeclared plot. The title will stay the same, the only reason being that my intuition tells me so. (Ok that's only half true. I really just don't want to change the title.) Enjoy. This chapter is a little short and pretty rough. Let me know what you think._

* * *

Rain sucked. That's what Naruto decided when class ended. It wasn't all romantic the way they made it seem in the movies. No. It was cold, and it was wet.

He'd decided – without checking the weather report first of course – to ride his motorcycle to school that day. He'd had his eyes set on an orange Ninja 100 ABS for a while, and the money he made over the summer at Ichiraku Ramen finally made it his. He made a conscious effort to show it off as often as possible. Not that it mattered at the moment.

There were two things his guardian Jiraiya had told him before he left for college. 1) Always go for girls with the biggest boobs, and 2) never ride a motorcycle in a thunderstorm. He hadn't had much luck on the first one, but he always obeyed the second rule. He never even rode his old bike in bad weather.

But today he was left with a choice: risk the rain, or walk home and get soaked. Neither option was appealing. On the one hand, he could accidentally crash and hurt himself. Or worse; he could damage the Ninja. Then again, he could end up having to walk the five or whatever miles home, get sick, and have to miss class or basketball practice.

He was seriously considering just risking it on the bike when a small Civic came skidding by, hydroplaning in the water. The driver managed to correct themselves before sliding into the church across the street, but they still couldn't stop at the stop sign. Luckily for them, the only one there to witness this was Naruto. That made up his mind.

With a grumble of irritation, he stepped out of the building and started walking. Oh, and of course he forgot to pack an umbrella. So much for it being 81 and sunny earlier. At least he had his riding jacket, so he wasn't cold. Yet. This was going to be a long walk.

He got barely a mile from campus before he determined he would never be dry again. It was as if the rain drops were seeping into him; past his skin, straight into the bone. The leather jacket he wore when riding _really_ wasn't helping either. Sure, between it and his backpack – oh god his notebooks were bound to be soaked – his upper body stayed mostly dry. Instead, all the water dripped off onto his jeans, causing them to stick to him in places they really shouldn't.

To make it worse, a black BMW chose that time to speed past him on the street, splashing water into his face. The red brake lights flashed on, and it pulled over at the next bus stop. Good. At least the guy figured out he'd done something wrong. Maybe he was going to apologize.

Whoever it was, Naruto was still gonna kick his ass.

"Oh god no," he groaned when he drew level to the car.

The window was rolled down. "Get in, idiot."

"I'd rather not."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, before reaching over and pushing the door open. "You're soaked."

"Yeah, so a bit more won't make any difference."

"You have four miles till you're home. Don't be stupid."

He opened his mouth to ask Sasuke why he knew where he lived, then remembered the whole basketball team had each other's contact info and snapped it shut. Instead, he gave up and got in the car.

His jeans squeaked against the clean, dry leather of the other's car. Of course it still smelled new. Only the bastard would be able to afford a brand new car.

It wasn't until he'd slammed the door and Sasuke sped off that he realized they hadn't been alone since That Night over three months ago. In fact, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Uchiha since then. It was probably good they ran into each other now; basketball training started soon, and they couldn't afford to mess up the rest of the team with their issues.

Despite those thoughts, an uncomfortable silence hung between them that Naruto made no effort to dispel.

The quiet wasn't broken until Sasuke came to a sudden stop. Naruto looked up startled, only to discover they were parked directly in front of his apartment building.

"This is it, right?" The raven asked when Naruto made no move to get out.

"Yeah," he mumbled in response.

This wasn't good. They needed to talk or somehow solve this problem between them. But how…?

"Do you wanna come up –?"

"I'll just be going –"

They spoke at the same time.

"Oh." Naruto felt awkward. "Okay. I'll see you around then."

His hand was on the door handle when he felt a sharp pressure on his left bicep. He turned and saw Sasuke's hand. His eyes travelled upward, only to see the raven staring at him intently. Something flashed across the other's face, and Sasuke pulled. Naruto barely had time to close his eyes before their lips connected.

Just like the first time, the raven was kissing him frantically, an almost desperate feeling behind it. For reasons unknown to him, Naruto found himself willingly deepening the kiss, opening his mouth up to the prying tongue against his lips. His left arm wound its way around the back of Sasuke's neck, while his right hand tightly squeezed the other's thigh.

They came up for air momentarily, but while Naruto was panting to catch his breath, Sasuke had already moved on to the blond's neck. The raven bit down on a sensitive piece of skin just below his collarbone, causing Naruto to gasp. Wanting to feel those lips against his, he pulled Sasuke back up, tangled his hands in his hair, and kissed him again.

It was the angle that was making it difficult, Naruto realized hazily. He shifted his weight, trying to move his body into Sasuke's seat. But as he was halfway there, the other bit down on his lower lip. Naruto lost control of himself for a moment and wound up falling against the wheel.

HONK!

They broke apart immediately. Naruto stared at horror at Sasuke, the realization of what they'd just been doing crashing down on him.

"I…uh…" Sasuke was giving him that same strange look he'd worn the first time. "I gotta go!" He ripped the door open and flew out of it, barely grabbing his backpack in the process.

"Naruto?" But he was already out of the car.

"Bye!" He yelled, slamming the door behind him and running into the building without looking back.

He threw the door closed behind him, not wanting to see if the Uchiha was still sitting there or not. _What the hell?_ He stood, forehead resting against the wall, dripping water on the floor, for a while. It wasn't until he heard someone walk out of their apartment that he finally moved.

Naruto ended up dragging his feet up three flights of stairs to his own apartment. Without really thinking, he unlocked the door, walked inside, and locked it again before collapsing on his couch. He was still completely soaked, but he didn't really feel it anymore.

There was something very wrong with him.

If he had been worried about how basketball training was going to go before, he was terrified now. What if he couldn't look at Sasuke without thinking about it? What if they couldn't play together because of that? _Oh god_, Naruto thought, covering his mouth. _What if he tells someone?_

His mind was in complete disarray, and the worst part was the bastard didn't even know he was the cause. _Wait._ Naruto sat straight up. _Maybe he _does_ know what he's doing. Maybe he's just trying to mess with me._ But why would he do that? The blond racked his brains.

Then it came to him. _Basketball._ Of course. Bastard didn't want to have to share co-captain-ship with him anymore. He was trying to throw Naruto off his game. He growled and clenched his fists.

Selfish asshole. Sure, he was a bit of a ball-hog and not very good at sharing in general, but Naruto honestly never expected this from him.

He stomped angrily to the bathroom, tearing off his shirt as he went. He needed to shower. He turned the water to steaming, removing the rest of his clothes as well, before stepping in.s

But as the hot water poured over him, bringing feeling back into his limbs, he admitted to himself that he didn't _mind_ the kiss itself. In fact, he decided, he could almost say he liked it. But wait. Did that mean he…liked men?

He summoned an image of Sakura. It still hurt to think about her. No matter what he'd told her That Night, he still had feelings for her; they didn't just go away. Because of it, he'd been avoiding her too. Something Ino mentioned the pink-haired girl had noticed.

So if he still had feelings for Sakura, then he wasn't gay at least. Maybe he just wanted to feel wanted. Not that Sasuke wanted him or anything, but if he closed his eyes when kissing the raven it almost felt like he did.

That must be it, Naruto decided, turning off the shower. He was still a little broken up about Sakura's rejection, so he'd settle for 'affection' of any kind. He could handle that as a conclusion.

Out of habit, Naruto checked his phone after he'd toweled off and put on pants. Ino had texted him, offering a ride. It was really a shame she hadn't done that _before_ he left campus. Then he could've avoided the whole situation.

He ended up texting her back saying he'd gotten home – though he was intentionally vague about how – and tossed his phone to the side. Assuming his notebooks weren't completely destroyed, he had homework to do before bed. There was less than a week before basketball practices started, and the further ahead in his classes he was before then, the better. The whole Sasuke fiasco could wait.

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**AN: **_Like I said, it's a little rough. I'll work on this from time to time, but it takes a back seat to both Fallout and Insubordinate. Did you like this chapter? Was the kiss scene weird? Let me know by reviewing!_


	3. Poor Life Choices

**AN:**_ Wait a second, Cat. You said this was at the bottom of your priority list. Why is it the first one being updated? Well...first of all, hush and just accept the update. second of all...I might have been an idiot and drank on a Sunday night and wound up really hungover on Monday and wanted to make Naruto feel my pain. (i was just doing homework with my friend, but then we both drank too much. Bad life choices. Learn from my mistakes and don't make them)_

* * *

If Naruto could only use one word to describe his week, he would call it shitty. He had a test on Monday he wasn't anywhere near prepared for, he forgot to finish his homework that was due Tuesday, and – rather than improving his week – basketball practice started on Wednesday. He'd taken to avoiding Sasuke after the second fiasco, a feat that didn't mean shit once he got to the court that day.

He tried to convince himself that he was a mature adult. He really did. But when he got to practice that day, changed and ready to go, he felt something akin to panic bloom in his chest. There the raven was, standing across the room talking to Neji as if nothing had happened – not even looking at Naruto, mind you – and Naruto's stomach already felt like it was going to fall out of his butt. He couldn't do this. He could NOT do this…

Luckily for him, the first week – well, half week – really just involved conditioning and drills, so he was able to avoid Sasuke for the most part. Naruto kept telling himself he'd go talk to the raven after practice, but by the end of the week he still hadn't.

It wasn't until Sunday afternoon's training session that the coach finally realized something was up. They were holding their first practice scrimmage as a team, and Naruto was nowhere near his usual condition.

"Uzumaki!" The coach stopped them after the fifth missed layup. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Uchiha was wide open, but you chose to hog the ball!"

The blond decided to stare at the floor rather than meeting any of his teammates' eyes. "I thought I could take the shot easier."

"Bullshit! You _know_ your strength is with the three pointers. You didn't stand a chance. He, on the other hand, was set up perfectly."

"I didn't see that."

"Did you miss the other four times Uchiha'd been free as well?"

Naruto decided the best course of action was to avoid answering the question altogether. The coach let out an exasperated sigh.

"That's it, Uzumaki. Out."

"What?" Had he heard wrong, or…?

"You heard me. Out. You're dismissed for today. Come back when you've screwed your head back on."

Now that was pretty unfair, in Naruto's opinion. He hadn't even gotten the chance to argue his case. He didn't fight the verdict though, because 1) his head really wasn't screwed in correctly at the moment and 2) the coach had already walked away and demanded practice continue.

So rather than arguing, he ended up showering and driving over to Ino's place in a bit of a rage. For once, she wasn't hanging out with Chouji, and Naruto had her undivided attention.

"I mean who does he think he is? I'm _captain_. He can't just send me home!"

"Co-captain," Ino chided, working at pulling a cork out of the wine bottle. "And he's just thinking about the team, I'm sure."

He was pacing the room, tearing at his hair. "I mean _yeah_, I didn't have the greatest practice today. But it's the beginning of the season! We can't be perfect!"

She managed to pull out the cork and had now poured two glasses for them. Naruto grabbed his, as Ino drank from hers. She licked her lips appreciatively before responding. "He probably just expects more from you now that you're a leader."

"But it's the first week…"

This continued on for a while, the bottle getting lighter and lighter as time went by. Soon, Ino had grabbed her homework and was doing it on the couch while Naruto continued to whine about the unfairness of it all. About five glasses in, he was feeling a little light-headed, but pulled out his homework anyway.

"…I can't be around that asshole…" He mumbled, frowning at the paper in front of him.

"Hmm? Who? Your coach?" Ino questioned, turning the page of her textbook. She'd stopped after three glasses, feeling pleasantly tipsy but not enough to warrant a headache the next day.

"No." He tapped his book on his homework, glare intensifying. "Sasuke."

"Sasuke? You haven't talked about him in months. What's he got to do with this?"

"Everything." The problem wasn't making any sense. Maybe five glasses of wine was too much.

"What did he do this time?" She was still only half paying attention.

He reread the question again. Stupid question. "It's cuz he kissed me that one time behind the Akatsuki." She stopped reading. "Hey, Ino, how do I do this problem?"

"You can't just change the subject. What do you mean he _kissed_ you behind the Akatsuki? The last time we were there was right after he and Sakura broke up."

"Well that was only the first time. Then we made out in his car when he drove me home a couple weeks ago…"

"What?!" The book was now on the floor.

"I think it's because he wants to confuse me so I suck at basketball and he gets to be captain all alone." He forgot about his homework. "It's working."

"Naruto…"

"Is it wrong if I liked it?" He felt tears tingling at the corner of his eyes.

Ino was next to him in a heartbeat. "Oh, honey, no. Of course it's not wrong."

The blond nodded, trying to keep from crying. "Can you take me home? I don't feel so hot."

"Um sure…Let me just call Chouji. I don't really think I should drive…"

Naruto's head was pounding when he woke up the next morning. He hadn't even sat up yet, and he already knew it was gonna be bad. But he really needed to get to class; they had a test coming up this week. He braced himself for the worst and sat up. Bad idea.

He barely made it to the bathroom before he was reduced to a sweating, quivering mess on the floor. After he'd completely emptied his stomach of everything he'd eaten in the last 24 hours – some foods he would never eat again – he passed out on his bed. Classes be damned.

He slept through most of the day before he managed to drag himself out of bed and eat something without it coming back up. And even though he was feeling better, and less like he was about to die, he still didn't feel like facing both Sasuke and his coach at practice that night, so he just…skipped. Instead, he turned on the tv and zoned out in front of it, regretting every decision he'd made in the past week.

That is, until someone knocked on his door. Frowning, Naruto checked the clock: 9 pm. Who would be here at 9 pm? Only one way to find out.

He opened the door only to get a backpack shoved in his face. His own backpack. Huh. That was interesting.

"Ino stopped by practice and wanted me to bring this for you."

He knew that voice. A strong desire to drink again overwhelmed him for a moment.

"Well? Are you gonna let me in or what?"

He should've slammed the door. Instead, he found himself stepping back. The intruder walked inside, closing the door behind him.

Naruto walked into his main living area, setting his backpack down, before turning to confront the person now inside his house. But when they were face-to-face, words failed him, and so the blond ended up standing there staring and looking like an idiot. Practice can't have ended too long ago, and yet Sasuke looked completely clean and dry, wearing jeans and a white button up over his usual black tee-shirt.

"Is there a reason you decided to skip out on practice today, loser?"

The familiar name stirred him, and Naruto rose to the bait. "Whatever, bastard. As if my personal life is any business of yours."

Sasuke scoffed. "It is when it interferes with the team."

The blond crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "He said he didn't want me back until I got my shit figured out."

"Oh? And you're staying away until he begs you to come back? Is that it?"

Naruto's left eye twitched. "No. Once again, my life is not your business."

"Once again, it is when it affects the team." The raven took a predatory step forward, to which Naruto responded by taking a step back. When he realized what he'd been forced to do, he snapped.

"Fine! You want to know so bad? It's your fault! Everything is entirely your fault."

The bastard had the nerve to look shocked at that. "My fault?"

Finally, Naruto had a reason to sneer. "Don't act innocent. You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. Your little plot to take over the team and become the sole captain."

"Naruto, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. I don't want to 'take over' or other such nonsense."

"Bullshit. Why else would you kiss me?"

Sasuke's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Naruto met the other's gaze. "I said you'd have no other reason to kiss me. Now stop playing stupid and leave my apartment."

The raven took a step forward. "I'm not the stupid one here." Naruto tried to step back, but ran into the kitchen counter instead. Shit.

"You really think I just kissed you as some fucked up power play?" Sasuke continued.

"Uh…" The raven was really too close now. Naruto was having a hard time thinking straight.

"Idiot." Sasuke closed the distance, and for the third time Naruto found himself being kissed by his long time rival.

He tried to tell himself he didn't like it. He attempted to convince himself that he wasn't enjoying the feeling of the raven's lips on his. Those thoughts flew out the window the minute Sasuke's tongue ran along his lower lip. New thoughts took their place going something along the line of 'yes more', and the blond opened his mouth, inviting the other in.

Their tongues battled for dominance for a while, neither man wanting to bow to the other. Sasuke got the upper hand, however, the minute his actual hand slip under Naruto's shirt. The blond gasped, instantly losing the fight and giving in to the new sensations.

Sasuke was cold, but he left a trail of fire where he touched the blond's skin. Naruto shivered as the raven's hand moved higher on his body, finally finding purchase on his nipple. He felt himself instantly harden at the sensation and had enough sense to break the kiss.

"S-Sasuke…What…?" But he never had a chance to finish the sentence, because the next thing he knew the raven _pinched_ and Naruto had never felt anything quite like that before. He moaned and rocked his hips, ramming his erection into Sasuke's leg.

The raven's tongue flicked just below his ear in response. "Do you really think I would do all this as some power play?" Sasuke's voice was rough, lower than normal. Naruto rocked his hips forward again. "Hmm?" The raven emphasized, squeezing his nipple harder.

"Ungh! Yes!" He barely remembered the question. All the sudden, the warmth was completely moved from around his body. He unconsciously followed it, but a hand pushing back on his shoulder stopped him from moving any further. His eyes focused again, only to see Sasuke standing a full body width away from him, concern etched on his face.

"You really think so low of me?"

The blond's mind struggled to catch up. "Yes?"

"Naruto."

"I mean yes. Yes, I do."

If the blond didn't know any better, he would've said Sasuke looked sad. The hand left his shoulder. "Well if that's really what you think." The raven turned and walked to the door, Naruto simply staring after him. Sasuke didn't stop until his hand was on the doorknob.

"Come back to practice at least. The team needs you."

Naruto nodded dumbly behind his back. Without another word, Sasuke left, the door swinging shut behind him.

Unblinkingly, the blond wandered to his cupboard, grabbing himself a glass and pouring water into it. He drank the entire thing before slamming it down on the counter, staring at the door.

_What have I done?_

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**AN: **_So that happened. So this is my first time writing a smut fic and I can probably definitely use a smut betaer. If anyone is interested, hit me up via the PM button on my homepage._

_Reviews are what power this fic. Have a good day everyone!_


	4. Complete Role Reversal

Naruto returned to practice two days later after Ino shouted at him to stop moping around her apartment. Luck was on his side when he arrived and discovered Sasuke had an evening exam and wasn't showing up that day. It was the best practice he'd had all season – which wasn't saying much really – and by the end the coach welcomed him back with almost a smile.

It was all he needed to help boost his confidence, and he finally had a good outlook on this semester.

That all changed when Sasuke came back the next day.

The moment the raven walked in and saw Naruto, the blond could tell something was up. His confidence wasn't shattered, however, until he tried saying hello and was given the cold shoulder. Well fine. If he wanted to be a dick then two could play at that game.

All practice, Naruto passed the ball to Sasuke with more force than necessary. The first few times, he noticed the other's eyes widen slightly. Then he seemed to get the hint. The next thing he knew, he and Sasuke were running up and down the court chucking the ball into each other's chest, trying to get the other person to stumble first. The rest of the team involved in the scrimmage were left in the dust.

In retrospect, Naruto had no idea why the coach waited so long to stop them, but he wasn't surprised when the whistle finally blew and they were called over.

"I don't know what the fuck is going on between you, but it stops. Now." The coach turned to Sasuke. "I expect something like this from Uzumaki, but you? Uchiha, you know better than this!"

He was livid, and he had every right to be. Naruto looked around the court at everyone else, only to see them all staring at him and Sasuke in concern. Damn. He'd been so mad at the bastard for being such a dick he'd completely forgotten why he was here in the first place; to practice with the team. The whole team.

So he really shouldn't have been surprised by what the coach said next.

"Alright. Practice is over. Everyone go home." Naruto turned to leave, impressed by his luck. "Not you Uzumaki." Ah shit. Not so lucky after all. "You and Uchiha stay."

He couldn't help himself. "Why?"

"You're gonna have a little one-on-one game. Sort yourselves out. In my time we were able to solve a lot of problems by beating the ever loving shit out of each other. Unfortunately, today I can't encourage such behavior." He stared into the distance wistfully before returning to the present. "But what I can do is tell you two to 'play it out' without anyone else here. But let me tell you this," his eyes narrowed dangerously, "if you both show up tomorrow with your heads still buried firmly up your respective asses, I will not hesitate to find new captains. Is that clear?"

Naruto nodded dumbly.

"Good. Try not to kill each other then." Without another word he walked away, leaving Naruto to stare at his back.

For a split second, the blond had the strongest urge to book it in the other direction. A constant thumping sound stopped him. He glanced toward the court, only to see Sasuke standing there dribbling, staring hard at the scoreboard. Reluctantly, he walked over to join him.

When he was level with the raven, Sasuke looked right up into his eyes. They stared at each other for a split second before the raven turned and sprinted toward the left hoop, Naruto hot on his heels.

It never occurred to him that they might want to play fair, so instead of going for the ball, he shoved Sasuke with all his strength, causing the Uchiha to stumble. In the few seconds that the raven no longer had control over the ball, Naruto stole it from him, spun on his heel, and sprinted the other direction.

Sasuke was behind him in a moment. He apparently caught on to the whole not playing fair thing, because Naruto barely saw the foot in front of him before he was sprawled out on the ground. Sasuke dribbled in the other direction while the blond growled and stood up. So the Uchiha wanted to up the stakes huh? He could do that. No problem.

He raced after the other, and before Sasuke could do anything, the blond raised his fist and punched the raven square in the jaw. The ball rolled away from them.

They stared at each other for a beat before Naruto broke his gaze and ran after the ball. He'd barely had it before a flying foot hit his hip and his leg buckled under him. Sasuke ran the other way, bouncing the ball as he went.

This went on until they tired out almost 20 minutes later. Naruto had the ball again, and Sasuke seemed to have given up. They both halted just at the three-point line. The look on the raven's face almost said 'shoot, I dare you'. But Naruto didn't. Instead he threw the ball as hard as he could at the basket, where it slammed into the backboard and came flying off, bouncing between them down the court. The game was over. No one scored.

He stomped toward the locker room, not really caring if the Uchiha followed or not. He managed to make it to his locker and pull off his shirt before the silence finally got to him. Snarling, he spun around to where Sasuke had just opened his own locker, flipped the raven around, grabbed the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the lockers.

"Can I help you, Uzumaki?" The bastard had the gall to sound bored even when cornered – literally – against a wall.

"What the fuck is your problem?"

An Uchiha eyebrow raised itself in a perfect look of derision. "My problem?"

"Yeah your problem. You've been a dick all day!"

"I'm not the one who resorted to childish ploys, idiot."

God the bastard could be frustrating. "Well you didn't have to respond!" He was shaking in anger now.

"My apologies." He was sneering now, no longer bothering to look bored by the whole thing.

Well if he was going to be an asshole then he would too. There's no way Naruto would let himself lose. "So what now? Gonna kiss me? There's no one around."

Sasuke's face went blank, and he didn't respond. So Naruto took it a step further.

He leaned forward, lips next to Sasuke's ear before whispering. "I know you want to." He let one of his hands release its grip on the raven's collar, sliding it down his chest in what he hoped was a seductive manner. "What's wrong, Sasuke? Not as much fun when I initiate it? You'd rather confuse me instead of it being the other way around?"

"No." Finally. A response.

"So it does speak. Fascinating. What do you mean no?"

"I mean no. I'm not going to kiss you." Naruto drew back without releasing the raven's collar.

"I'm not like you, Naruto. I don't kiss people if I don't want to."

The blond wasn't sure if he was more offended by the implication that he went around kissing people like some kind of lip whore, or the idea that Sasuke didn't want to kiss him. Either way, he lost the cocky edge in his voice. "What do you mean?"

"What I said." No further explanation. Of course not. This was Sasuke, after all.

For some reason, Naruto was indignant. He felt as though he had to defend his honor somehow. "It's not that I didn't want to kiss you! It's just that…"

The raven raised his eyebrow as if to say 'just what, imbecile?' And he would say imbecile too. For a moment, Naruto was conflicted as to how exactly to get his point across.

"Fuck it," he decided, pulling Sasuke toward him via the collar and slamming their lips together.

This time – when Naruto _intentionally_ deepened the kiss – Sasuke didn't immediately respond. So the blond did what any person was, and bit down on the raven's lower lip. That worked. The raven let out a slight gasp, opening his mouth and allowing Naruto's tongue to plunge into it.

It wasn't until Sasuke responded with his own that Naruto allowed himself to explore the rest of the raven's body. He could still feel the parts of his skin where Sasuke had touched last time they'd been together like this, and it was driving him mad. He just wanted to return the favor. His free hand slid the remainder of its way down Sasuke's chest, finding the bottom of the shirt, and slipping under it. The Uchiha's body was still sweaty from working out, but rather than grossing Naruto out, it turned him on more.

He explored his way up the raven's stomach to his chest until he found what he was looking for. Recalling how he felt when Sasuke did it to him, he ghosted his finger over the other's nipple. It hardened, and Sasuke bit down on Naruto's tongue. The blond moaned unintentionally, pinching the pink skin in response.

He'd forgotten that Sasuke had both hands free, so while he was continuing his mission to torture the raven, it gave the other time to retaliate. One of Sasuke's hands feathered its way across Naruto's chest, never staying in one place for long enough. The blond lost track of the other hand until something grabbed the crotch of his shorts. He gasped and broke the kiss, leaning his head on the raven's shoulder.

Naruto could practically _feel_ the raven smirking when he started rubbing. "T-teasing," the blond panted against the tee-shirt.

"Hush, idiot. We're in a locker room." How the Uchiha could sound so calm at a moment like this was a mystery. So Naruto bit down on the skin below him. There was a sharp intake of breath from near his left ear, and the rubbing against his erection increased its speed. Naruto moaned again, rocking his hips into the hand. He was so hard it hurt, but he couldn't tell if Sasuke was even affected.

He turned his head and started sucking on the raven's neck, earning what sounded like a gasp. The hand that had been resting on the other's chest – after abandoning its own attempt at teasing – moved down to his shorts. Oh yeah, Sasuke was definitely affected too. He clumsily rubbed his hand against the other's erection in an attempt to reciprocate. Apparently it worked, because the typically composed Uchiha let out a soft moan of appreciation. The blond moved his hand faster wanting to hear that sound again. They were both panting by now, Naruto having given up on doing anything but breathe and rub. It would be embarrassing to cum from just this, but god it felt good.

"Naruto?" A soft female voice spoke from somewhere near the entrance. "Naruto are you there?" Shit. They both stopped. When had she opened the door? He hadn't even heard it…

"Ye – uh – Yeah! Yeah I'm here!" His voice sounded off. Maybe she didn't notice.

"It's me, it's Sakura. You promised we'd go to dinner after practice remember?" Of course. How could he have forgotten? She'd noticed how he'd been avoiding her and wanted to grab dinner so they could talk. He should've remembered. Why hadn't he remembered?

"Right, yeah. I'll be out soon, ok? Practice went long, so I still need to shower. K?"

"Yeah, ok. I'll just wait outside." The door slammed shut.

He looked back at Sasuke, whose face swiftly transformed from hurt to angry to blank, before pushing himself off. He was still uncomfortably hard. A cold shower it was then. Problem was, he didn't really know what to say. He'd been the one to initiate the whole thing this time; he couldn't just run away like before.

"What are you waiting for? Go shower so you can meet with your girlfriend." Sasuke had already turned back to his locker, pulling it open again with unnecessary force.

A wave of irritation flooded through Naruto. "She's not my girlfriend, _Sasuke_, you made sure of that."

"Excuse me?" The raven's back stiffened.

"Nothing." Not knowing what else to say, the blond grabbed his towel and soap before storming to the showers.

He set the temperature to 'hell freezing over' before shedding his shorts and stepping in. The cold water was an instant relief to his problem, so he turned it to a more reasonable temperature as soon as he was sure it wouldn't return. But the bigger problem never went away; he was still angry.

Naruto wasn't sure who he was angrier at: himself or Sasuke. Sasuke had been the one to initiate the first time, so it was understandable why he was so angry, but he had just initiated something of his own. And the fact it had gone so much further than kissing angered him even more. If Sasuke really were just screwing with him – something Naruto wasn't so sure of anymore – then he shouldn't have risen to the bait. On the other hand, there was a chance Sasuke felt something toward him, in which case he shouldn't lead him on. Not only was it rude and hurtful, it was also bad for the team. He banged his head against the wall twice before letting it rest there, the lukewarm water running down his back.

He definitely liked it; that much was no longer in question. The real question was if he liked it just because it was physical attention – which he was starved for since he and his last girlfriend had broken up – or if he were gay. The second thought was the one that scared him. His ultimate goal had been to go to college, study something worthwhile but easy, and then get recruited into the NBA. Even if he had to go with plan B (get a kick ass job), being gay was _not_ looked well upon by society as yet. Naturally, he tried to see every way around that being the case.

He'd already decided the other day that he still had feelings for Sakura, which was why he had been avoiding her in the first place. That meant he was not gay at the very least. So maybe he was bisexual or something? That would explain why he had been so into…whatever it was they were doing just earlier. But no, he couldn't be. Trying to imagine doing the same thing with Kiba or Neji or someone was just plain weird. Which lead to another question: what made Sasuke so special?

Ugh. He turned the water off. This was so confusing. He kept going around and around in the same circle, never getting anywhere or figuring anything out. Hopeless.

Naruto grabbed his towel and dried his hair, before wrapping it around his waist and stepping out of the shower. Regardless, he really needed to forget about this whole 'ignore it and it'll go away' idea, because clearly that wasn't working. He reached his locker and took a deep breath before turning to where Sasuke was just putting on his typical black tee-shirt. Wow, the guy showered fast. Naruto hadn't even heard him.

"Sasuke?"

No answer.

"Sasuke."

Nothing.

"Look I know you can hear me."

"_What_." Well if that didn't spell irritation, then he wasn't sure did.

"Are you free sometime this week?"

"Idiot. Today is Thursday. The week is almost over."

"Ok, next week then."

"Why?"

"To talk."

Sasuke still hadn't turned around, and it was making Naruto nervous. "About what?"

"You know what. Ugh." He wanted to pull his hair in frustration. This was impossible. "We can't keep doing this Sasuke. We can't keep…taking out our frustrations on each other like this. It's killing the team. We need to talk about it and figure it out before this thing – whatever it is – fucks us both up and neither of us get to be captains anymore." It all came out in a rush.

The raven still just stood there unmoving. "Tuesday," he said finally.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm free Tuesday, and practice was cancelled that day anyways."

Relief washed over him. "Ok good. Wait. Why is practice cancelled?"

Sasuke snorted. "You don't pay attention, do you?"

"No…"

The raven hoisted his bag over his shoulder, slamming his locker shut in the process. "A word of advice." He turned and looked straight into Naruto's eyes. "Don't keep Sakura waiting; it makes her mad." Then he turned and stalked off, leaving Naruto staring in his wake.

A moment later the meaning behind the raven's words hit him, and the blond moved about in a frenzy trying to get dressed before Sakura asked him what took so long.

* * *

**AN: **_You know sometimes things that are at the bottom of your priority list push themselves to the top. This is one of those things. For the Fallout followers on here: I am working on that, but these next few chapters can be fucked up pretty easily, so I'm taking it slow. Insubordinate followers: still working on plot.__  
_

_Anyways, onto the fic you are actually reading. This one. So I have a problem; I can't stop writing this fic. I have yet to find a smut beta-er (so if the scene upset you for a reason other than it ending early, let me know if you have any recommendations) but that really didn't stop me like it should have. Ah well. If there is an overwhelming number of complaints the scene will be edited. So did you like it? Hate it? Am I losing followers? Tell me, for I must know. :)_

_Also, anyone who can tell me the correct number of times I say/reference dicks in this chapter wins._


	5. Just Talking

_Warning: Limey smut follows. It's also unbeta'd. Beware._

* * *

Sasuke was right about Sakura; she hated waiting for other people. Naruto was used to the girls making him wait – especially Ino, that girl took forever – but he figured he'd already been late before she even said anything. She'd acted irritated while he apologized nonstop, before punching him over the head and saying it was fine.

But dinner was still awkward. They made small talk for a bit, talking about how school was going (terribly), how the football team was performing (dismally), and what they did over the summer (nothing of note apparently). And after all the safe topics were covered they fell silent, still unable to look at each other. If only the food would get there faster. Then Naruto would have something to do aside from drawing on the table with his straw.

"I know you've been avoiding me, Naruto."

When he looked up, Sakura was staring straight at him. He thought about lying for a moment, then decided otherwise. "Yeah."

"Ino said you were having a hard time." She would.

Naruto sighed. He wasn't sure what he was expecting; he should've known the conversation would eventually circle back to That Night. "Look I don't know what Ino told you, but it's not…I just…" He drew his hand through his spikes. "I needed space, Sakura. It's hard, you know? To be around someone you…Who doesn't…" This wasn't working. He had a whole speech ready for when the confrontation happened. Where had that gone?

He cleared his throat and tried again. "I needed time, that's all. I never wanted to lose you as a friend, you know." A grin forced its way across his face. "But I'm good now. We should –"

"I'm seeing someone." That shut him up.

"What?"

Her eyes dropped to the table, her finger now tracing shapes like Naruto's had been earlier. "I never really meant to, after Sasuke. But it happened, and I've moved on now. I just don't think I could forgive myself if you hadn't moved on too."

His stomach dropped. This was why he'd liked her in the first place; she was so strong, yet still managed to care for others so deeply.

The food chose that moment to arrive, and Sakura dug in like she was dreading what she knew was coming next. His face was starting to hurt from smiling so wide, but he choked out "that's great. Who?"

"Rock Lee. He's a physical therapy student at Gai's center. I injured myself playing beach volleyball this summer. That's how we met." She took a bite from her salad before continuing. "I know he's a little eccentric, but I think he's good for me. I can be myself around him; I don't have to pretend to be something I'm not."

"That's great." And he meant it too. Every word. "I'm happy for you." That, not so much.

"Thanks." She was smiling sadly down at her food. "I'm sorry if I led you on tonight."

"I didn't expect anything anyway."

They ate the rest of the meal in silence. Naruto ended up paying, despite Sakura's insistence she could pay for herself at least. But he insisted, stating it was the least he could do since he'd ignored her for the better part of four months. When he dropped her back home – with a wave and a promise they'd hang out again like old times – he decided Tuesday couldn't come soon enough; he had some questions for a certain raven haired bastard.

Even though he saw Sasuke at the next three practices before Tuesday, the coach had them practicing in separate areas. He was running drills with half the team while Sasuke practiced free throws with the other half. Then they would switch, never talking. Naruto suspected this had something to do with the coach's lack of trust they'd dealt with their issues during their 'one-on-one' game, but he didn't complain. Until he and Sasuke had a chance to talk – and really _talk_, not have their tongues down each other's throats – he didn't trust himself around the Uchiha.

So when Tuesday finally rolled around, Naruto was mostly relieved. Partly nervous. Ok, half nervous, half relieved. Mostly nervous. Regardless. Tuesday was finally here, and they were going to talk. He lagged behind after showering, saying goodbye to the rest of the team and taking longer than necessary to pull on his shirt.

Sasuke was standing outside the locker room when he emerged. "Took long enough, idiot."

"Shut up. Unlike some _princesses_, I actually sweat. Sorry I took the time to shower."

"Hn" was the only response he got. Bastard. Why were they talking again? They'd never get along. "Where are we going? You're the one who wanted to talk."

Naruto realized he must've been glaring at Sasuke, because the raven had one eyebrow raised. How did he even do that anyway? "Uh, we can go to my place. Kiba's always at Hinata's, so we'll have privacy." The eyebrow rose further, the other joining it. "Oh! Uh…" He spluttered, suddenly realizing how that sounded. "I meant to talk! Just talk!"

"Hn." How a person could articulate such derision without, well, _articulating_ was beyond Naruto. Nevertheless, they walked to the parking lot.

"Sorry my car's such a mess." He fumbled with his keys. It wasn't until he noticed the lack of response that he looked up. Sasuke was nowhere to be found. The black car from the other day swung around stopping in front of him. "Hurry up, loser. I don't have all night." Naruto flushed. The guy was a freaking ninja, disappearing and reappearing like that. "You're not driving with me?"

"Idiot. How would I get home afterward?"

Oh yeah. He'd completely forgotten. Keys working, and car unlocked, Naruto mumbled "whatever" under his breath and got in the car.

Sasuke followed him to his apartment even though he didn't need to. It was something Naruto wished he hadn't felt the need to do; he was paranoid the whole way that he was being judged. But Sasuke didn't say anything when they arrived. He didn't say anything when they walked up three flights to Naruto's apartment. He didn't even say anything when the blond dropped his keys on the ground while trying to unlock the door.

It was dark inside, proof Kiba was indeed over at Hinata's, and Naruto's hand shook as he turned on the lights. Jesus. He was acting like a virgin on her wedding night. Which was ridiculous. This was _Sasuke_. Even if something was going on between them – and that was a big if – they'd already done more together than any virgin would feel comfortable doing.

"Want anything to drink?" He tossed his backpack down, trying to regain some of his composure.

"No." The raven plopped down on Naruto's couch as if he belonged there, looking decidedly bored.

"Oh. Ok." He carefully walked over and sat on the opposite side, being sure to not make eye contact. They were silent a moment.

"You're the one who wanted to talk." The blond's head jerked up at the sound. "So talk."

"I…uhm…." Damn. It was dinner with Sakura all over again.

A sigh came from his right. "Idiot. If you have nothing to say, I'm not going to waste my time here."

"I'm not an idiot!" Naruto finally found his voice. "Stop calling me that!" He turned to glare at Sasuke, who looked slightly taken aback.

"Hn."

"And stop making that noise! Jesus, is that all you can say?"

The left eyebrow raised itself gracefully. "If all you're going to do is yell at me, then I think I'll leave."

"Bastard!" Goddammit. Why couldn't he articulate his thoughts? He moved his glare down to the coffee table. "This is like Sakura all over again," he mumbled.

"What was that?" When Naruto looked over again, a dark expression had settled over the other's face.

"I had dinner with Sakura." Good start. "We talked."

"About what?" Despite his efforts, curiosity bled through the other's words.

Naruto watched Sasuke's face closely as he spoke again. "She's seeing someone." The change was instantaneous, but he wouldn't have noticed it if he wasn't paying such close attention. A flash of sadness crossed his face before it settled again into indifference, and he didn't say anything. "I knew it!" Naruto exclaimed.

"What."

"Your expression! Something happened between you two, didn't it?"

"Obviously." His voice dripped with derision.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Something happened and now you –"

"Enough." Damn. What was it with everyone cutting him off all the time? "We aren't here to talk about me and Sakura. Get to why you wanted to talk to me or I'm leaving." His voice was so cold, emotionless.

"Fine. I just…" How to say it? "I just…I wanted to…"

The raven sighed again. "You said before we 'couldn't continue taking our frustrations out on each other'. Start there."

But that was just the problem. He had a hard enough time trying to come to terms with what had happened between him and Sasuke. Vocalizing it was…impossible. "Why did you kiss me?" Or not.

Uchihas could write about the art of eyebrow raising if they wanted. Truly. "Which time?" The raven responded finally.

"There were different reasons?"

"Obviously." As if it were to everyone else.

"All of them then."

If Sasuke sighed any more he'd run out of air to breathe.

"Start with the alley," Naruto urged, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"I don't know why I did." Sasuke ran a hand through his hair looking uncomfortable for the first time since he'd arrived.

"And in the car?"

The raven's eyes – long since directed at the table – darted back and forth, his tongue sliding out of his mouth and gliding across his lips. "I wanted to." No further explanation seemed forthcoming. But then Sasuke kept talking. "You looked so…lost."

"What?"

"Your eyes…they were –" There was a clicking of teeth as Sasuke forcibly stopped himself from talking.

"Sasuke…"

The raven in question turned his head sharply, staring directly into Naruto's eyes. "And why did you kiss me in the locker room?"

_Oh god, Sasuke. We did so much more than that._ "I don't know either." But the raven's gaze was unrelenting. "I wanted to, I suppose." Still not enough; Sasuke wasn't looking away. "I don't know!" The blond's hands flew to his hair. "I've always liked girls! Hell, I'm still not sure I'm over Sakura! And then you" – he gestured his hand wildly toward Sasuke, barely glancing at him – "had to go and kiss me and screw all that up! So yeah! I don't know!"

Naruto took a few deep breaths to calm down before he finally looked up at Sasuke. The raven's face was blank, but his eyes...

"I'm sorry." The Uchiha stood abruptly, looking away. "I never meant for things to go so far."

"What? Sasuke…" He tried weakly.

"I will keep things professional between us during the remainder of the season, don't worry." No but that would mean…

"Sasuke wait." But the Uchiha was moving toward the door.

"Goodbye, Naruto." His fingers were on the handle. In a flash Naruto was over there, gripping the other's wrist.

"Let go." Sasuke didn't look at him.

"You can't just walk out like this."

"I am not in the habit of repeating myself. _Let go_."

"No. I won't let you leave."

"Naruto." Were his ears playing tricks on him, or was there a tone of pleading in Sasuke's voice?

"Stay. Please." His forehead fell on Sasuke's shoulder. "Please."

For a moment neither of them spoke. "Why?"

There it was. The question he'd been asking himself since the night he'd sprinted into his building in the pouring rain. The same one he'd asked the day he'd been hung-over and opened his door, and when he'd exited the locker room last Thursday more excited about the prospect of seeing Sasuke on Tuesday than having dinner with Sakura that night. It was a question he didn't know the answer too. All he knew was "I want you to." It was out of his lips before he could stop himself.

He waited with bated breath for the inevitable snort of irritation. For Sasuke to shove his hand off his wrist and leave the room. For the words 'in your dreams idiot' to be the last thing he heard before the door slammed closed behind the raven's back. But none of that came.

Instead, Sasuke's hand made its way under Naruto's chin, raising the blond's face. Naruto allowed his eyes to meet Sasuke's, and what he saw there almost made him stop breathing again. More emotion than he'd ever seen before was swirling behind the black orbs. "Naruto," he whispered, before lowering his lips to the blond's.

Naruto had kissed Sasuke four times by now, but none of them were quite like this. While the others had been filled with hate and need and passion, this one was slow and aching. It was like the raven was trying to pour all the emotions from his eyes into Naruto, and it was working. The blond wound his arms around Sasuke's neck, pulling him in closer until his own back was pushed flat against the door. The raven's hand moved from his chin up to his cheek, his other wrapped around Naruto's lower back, pulling the blond closer.

Naruto's tongue darted out, ghosting over the seam of Sasuke's lips. The raven's mouth opened, and Naruto explored his mouth. Sasuke tasted like cinnamon and spices and something else that was purely _Sasuke_, and Naruto couldn't get enough. And when they finally broke apart for air, the blond didn't suddenly 'come to his senses' as he had in the past. No. This time he was fully in control of his actions. It felt so right. But still…

"This is wrong." He looked up and met Sasuke's eyes. "And it's not that we're both guys" – although he was still having a hard time accepting that – "but we're on the same team, Sasuke. We can't…The team."

The raven blinked at the words, before his hands dropped to Naruto's sides. Naruto realized he hadn't let go and rectified that immediately. They didn't move apart, however. "You're the one who said you wanted me to stay."

"I did. I do. I still want that."

"Then what?"

"I don't know."

"For someone who claims to not be an idiot, you certainly don't know a lot." Naruto knew he should've been more irritated at the words. But something was wrong with his emotions. So he responded the only way he could think of; he kissed Sasuke again.

At first, the raven didn't respond. Soon, though, they were back where they were before: tongues inside each other's mouths, hands exploring the other's body. Naruto's hand slid under Sasuke's shirt, and he ran it along the smooth expanse of stomach there. In response, the raven tugged on Naruto's belt loop, pulling them flush together before breaking the kiss again.

"Careful, Uzumaki. You don't know what you're doing."

He was having a hard time catching his breath. "No. But who really cares? I always wing it anyways."

And they were kissing again, Sasuke's hand snaking around before dipping beneath Naruto's waistband. The blond shivered at the touch and bit down on the other's lower lip. Sasuke's fingers trailed around Naruto's lower back, toward his stomach and lower. Their lips parted again when the blond felt the cool touch on something most decidedly _not_ cold.

"Jesus." His forehead fell against the other's shoulder when Sasuke's grip tightened around his erection. The hand slid along his length, and Naruto had to bite down on the other's shirt to stop himself from crying out.

He could almost feel the raven smirking through his next words. "What was that about this being wrong again?" A cold thumb flicked across the slit, and even through the fabric Naruto's utterance of "fuck" was still audible. Sasuke's hand moved back up, then down again; a slow, agonizing rate. And just when Naruto was positive he couldn't survive any more teasing, a breath of air blew into his ear and Sasuke whispered "I can stop if that's what you want."

Fuck being silent.

Naruto moaned and rocked his hips forward, pushing Sasuke's hand back up his length. The raven's tongue flicked out, brushing against the sensitive spot between the blond's ear and his neck. "But I don't think that's what you want. Is it, Naruto?" The blond in question moaned again, pulsating his hips in an effort to make the raven pump faster. Sasuke complied, but that didn't stop Naruto from thrusting into his hand.

He'd just taken a shower after practice, so sure he wouldn't be doing anything that would require a second, but after this Naruto was going to need one. Sasuke continued to murmur encouraging words into his ear, but Naruto had long since tuned them out. When he was like this he could focus on one thing, and right now that thing was the hand fucking him senseless. He'd taken a cold shower after the locker room incident, but this time he would feel some release. Jesus it felt so good. How could a _hand_ be this intense? Hell, it's not like he'd never had one touch him before, but with the way his body was reacting it felt like he hadn't.

He could tell he was close, and when Sasuke leaned forward and bit his ear it was all over. He let out a strangled cry that sounded like a mix between "fuck" and "Sasuke" – even he couldn't tell what it was – before slumping against the raven. He felt Sasuke remove his hand from his pants, a wetness settling between his thighs. His mind dimly registered that he'd have to wash those pants before wearing them again. They stood there, Naruto leaning against Sasuke, both breathing heavily for a while.

"Naruto." The raven spoke finally. "I said I'd keep it professional for the team."

"Fuck the team," Naruto declared against Sasuke's neck. He felt the other smirk at that.

"Regardless. You said so yourself; we have to behave during practices and games if we want to remain captains. I don't want to jeopardize that."

No. Of course not. That made perfect sense. And he had been the one to say that, after all. So for the sake of the team – and his sanity – not a word of what they just did would leave the room. "Right. Don't tell a soul. Got it." He stood up straight, only to find he couldn't quite meet Sasuke's eyes. He settled for just to the left of his ear. What were they supposed to do now? Well, it wasn't like Sasuke was going to say anything. "Thank you." Thank you?! That was so awkward. "I mean…um…" Yes, what did he mean? "You said you had something to do, right? Sorry for holding you up so long."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow for the thousandth time that night, but didn't respond. "Anyways," Naruto continued. "I guess I'll see you at practice tomorrow then." He grinned widely and stepped aside, allowing the other complete access to the door. Sasuke glanced at him briefly, opening his mouth as if he wanted to say something, before shutting it and nodding once. He pulled open the door and exited, allowing it to close behind him.

Naruto managed to stand smiling until the door was completely closed. Once Sasuke was gone, however, he sunk down the wall thinking about the whole new can of worms he'd just opened and ignoring his desperate need for a shower.

* * *

_I did warn you about the lack of beta. More detail was requested after chapter 4, so I changed the style of the lime scene a bit in an attempt to meet that request. Success? Failure? Helpful opinions are always appreciated as this is the first smut fic that I've written. And reviews are love. Never forget that._


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